by J. K. Mabrey
"That there are."
The rows of shelters were to be temporary homes to the colonists until more permanent structures were built. They walked along the front of the buildings.
"Is Earth going to send the raw materials to build here?" Dani asked.
"Yes, at first," the General said. "Eventually, we'll have to start mining the planet for materials. The survey of the planet revealed a large iron ore deposit to the north that we'll explore. There doesn't appear to be any oil or methane that we can extract for energy, so we must rely on power cores."
"If they can provide cranes and concrete and steel, why can't they provide food and power and farm equipment?" Dani asked.
"Those are still considered class A materials on Earth. The Earth Council strictly prohibits their export. Any and all resources related to those materials must be used on Earth. The sustainment effort might have been successful and the population has stabled itself, but Earth still has a long way to go. The people on Earth would be outraged to think that there are starving people there being forgotten for a colony far far away."
"Does it make sense to try and build this colony then?" she asked.
"This colony will become a strategic point for Earth in the Galaxy. It is imperative that humans move to populate the galaxy somewhere besides Earth. And I don't mean in the sense that some have. Small groups living on Valier, Cedona, and Urenta, and the criminals," he said glaring at Zavik, "that make up the rest of what aliens think of humans, has become unacceptable. We need a strong, non-Earth presence if we are to be truly accepted by the Galaxy. If we didn't colonize Garos now, it was likely another race would."
"I see," she said, her focus dropping to the shelters. A man and woman went into one, followed by, what she presumed was, their daughter.
"We have thousands living here now," he continued, "and next month we have two thousand more civilians and five hundred soldiers scheduled to arrive. Without the rations of food we need, they will not be able to live here. Earth is only providing, temporarily, what we need for the men here now. When new recruits arrive, they must be covered by the supplies you secure."
"We’ll start with the food first," Zavik said.
"Yes, good. We have a stockpile of power cores that should last a few months, and the farm equipment won't be desperately needed for another two months."
Zavik heard the whine of a hover bike and turned to see one speeding right for their position. It came to a sudden stop right at their feet. It was one of the two bikes that were leaving the camp as they arrived. He slipped his helmet off, his face pale and lifeless. His breathing was labored and when he tried to speak nothing came out.
"What is it, Garrett?" the General asked. "Where's Travis?"
"Guh...gone, sir," he said.
"What? What do you mean, gone?"
"A pack...of deterans attacked us while we were surveying the east."
"A pack of them?" the General asked. "Our intelligence says they never travel in packs."
"That's what we thought, but when we stopped and started taking recordings of the outer areas, four of them came at us from the left and three more charged from the right. One rammed its horn through Travis' bike. It was smashed to pieces, I've never seen a bike get torn apart like that before. I shot at a few of them, but they just kept charging. I got on my bike and tried to pick Travis up, but before I could get there a deteran trampled him. He then..." All he could do was bury his head in his hands. "He grabbed Travis and drug him away. Three deterans charged me and I had to run. I'm so sorry."
General Walters put his hands out. "It's ok Garrett, it's not your fault," the General said, his voice calm and soothing. "We'll send out a squad of soldiers to investigate the area immediately. I'm certain they'll find Travis."
"They have to go now!" Garrett said with exhaustion in his voice. "Travis might still be alive."
"It will take a few minutes for Echo squad to mobilize," the General assured him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "They will search the area thoroughly for Travis, and make sure those beasts don't bother this camp anymore."
"I've got to go back."
"I can not let you do that," the General said. "Until we discover why these deterans attacked, it's dangerous out there. You're not a soldier, Garrett. You weren't supposed to run into any hostilities. You're not prepared and trained for situations like that."
"But I need to be," he pleaded. "If we're going to survive out here, we all need to be able to handle what this planet has. I ran for help, instead of going after Travis. If he dies, it'll be my fault."
"You did the right thing. One of those creatures is tough enough for a single soldier to take down, a pack would be impossible for you to get through. Echo squad will be ready to go in five minutes."
Dani clutched Zavik's arm and said to him, "The General might let him go back if you went with him."
"Maybe, but why?" he asked. "They have a squad getting ready. That's what they're for."
"Zavik, you know that time is precious. That colonist might die if someone doesn't get out to him immediately."
"It's not part of our job," he said to her, his voice carrying farther than he liked.
"Since when did helping people become a job?" she asked even louder.
"Since it landed us on the wrong side of Red Moon's hit-list. Since it almost got you killed."
"That was different," she said.
"No! It's no different. We shouldn't have gotten involved then and we're not going to now. The job is the job. What we're contracted for is what we're going to do."
"You have to get past Varin," she said, trying to calm him down, but knowing that the name would do no such thing. Brax’s eyes widened and he moved closer to her. "He's gone, Red Moon's not after us. You're letting your paranoia take away one of the things I love about you."
"I'm not paranoid," he said. "You heard what that bounty hunter on Eldray said about Varin. There are still real threats, Dani. I made a promise to keep you safe, to not risk our lives anymore."
"But, you're a good person, Zavik. You help people, it's in your nature. That's why you took the lower paying contracts for Earth. That's why you were eager to take this contract, to help the colony. Don't let Varin take that away. You can help save Travis's life. Do you not care about that?”
He shook his head briefly in frustration. He did care. He always cared. But caring was what got him kicked out of the U.E.F. Caring was what got them mixed up with Red Moon in the first place. And here he was again, caring about someone he had never met. Why couldn't he just let it be someone else's problem? It just wasn't his nature. Sometimes he hated his nature, but no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, it was always there, blatantly taunting him to do something else.
“Zavik,” Brax said, “you can’t let him control your life from the Dark Sector. He has no power thanks to you. Don’t give any of it back.”
“I just can’t get this feeling out of my head that something’s going to happen,” Zavik said.
“Even if he did something, the Galaxy is ready for him. His dream of ruling is unattainable. Even his organization is fractured. You can’t let him change you.”
Zavik nodded and said, “No, you’re right. We should do the right thing when we can. General, what if we go out with him?" Zavik asked.
"Really?" the General asked. "You'd be willing to do that while the squad mobilizes?"
"That's what I'm saying. Charra, Brax, you in?”
“I was hoping you’d say yes,” Charra said.
Brax held up his hands and said, “I can’t just sit here and talk you into doing the right thing and say no myself, so, yeah, I’m in.”
“We can take two bikes and scout ahead of Echo squad,” Zavik said. “We won't engage any of those creatures if we run into them. We'll just look for his friend, Travis."
The General shook his head. "Fine, you can go. Grab a bike from the platform. Keep in constant communication."
"Stay here," he said to Dani.
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"Be careful," she said and hugged him, "you don't know anything about this planet, or these creatures."
"It'll be ok," he assured her. "We're just going to look for his friend until backup arrives." Zavik ran to the platform and fired up the engines. The bike rose about two feet off the ground, a dull hum resonating from beneath the vehicle.
Charra climbed on the back of his bike and Brax got on the back of Garrett’s. Zavik looked around, orienting himself with the layout of the bike. He twisted the throttle on the right handle and the bike lurched forward. He would have tumbled backward if not for Charra’s solid body sitting behind him. The vehicle glided to a stop near Garrett.
"They're quick," he said to Zavik. "Ease the throttle forward to get up to speed."
“Do it easily,” Charra reminded him.
“How far away were you when you were attacked?" Zavik asked.
"A couple of miles. These things move a lot faster than the rovers the military will use. Shouldn't take more than five minutes to get back there. Hold on!"
Garrett leaned forward and twisted the handle of his bike. It launched forward in a flash. Zavik caught a glimpse of Brax scurrying trying to hold on tight. Zavik followed suit, though he only twisted a little at first to ease his bike to full speed. They both raced toward the horizon, disappearing over a hill. The warm wind pushed hard against Zavik's face as he sliced through the thick air. Charra's weight pulled at his stomach then eased as he reached speed. Each breath forced air down his lungs and stung his throat like a cold winter’s night.
He followed close behind Garrett. The land was flat and empty. Grass spread out to the horizon. To the south laid a band of trees. The pristine land was empty to the north. The bikes glided smoothly up and down as the terrain grew rough.
Garrett brought his bike to a sudden stop. Zavik pulled up to him slowly. They stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a gorge. Garrett removed his helmet and climbed off his bike. The gorge to the north rose to peaks of small mountains. The south became smooth and level. It was about half a mile across and stretched as far as they could see.
"Is this where you were attacked?" Zavik asked.
"It was just back there," he said pointing the direction they came. "They ran this way with Travis."
"Down the gorge?" Brax asked, apprehensive of going down there.
"Yes, let's go."
"Shouldn't we wait for backup?" Brax asked.
"I thought we were the backup?" Charra said. He unslung his rifle and shoved a pistol into Brax's hand. "See, this is why I come prepared."
"We might fall out of radio contact down there," Zavik said.
"Zavik's right," Brax said as he studied Charra’s pistol.
"We can't wait," Garrett said. "He could be injured in there. I thought that's why you came?" He threw a pitying look at Zavik, almost one of disgust.
Garrett started walking down the gorge. "Are you coming?" he asked without looking back.
“You heard him,” Brax said.
Zavik shrugged and followed Garrett down. The gorge was steep at first but leveled out near the bottom. He held his hands behind him, prepared to fall flat at the first misstep. Lose dirt shifted under each step. His right foot gave away briefly when a rock dislodged from the embankment and tumbled down the ridge. The rock rolled past Garrett's leg and came to rest in the valley. A fall from that high up could hurt something real bad. Zavik tried not to think about lying in the valley, a leg broken, or worse. He didn't want to be stuck on Garos, there was more out there. More waiting on him. Or was it someone waiting for him? For a split second, he felt cold and alone. His mind touched by a dark figure. Someone looking for him, looking for revenge. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out what was waiting out there. Maybe Garos was a nice place to settle down? Maybe he would be safe? Maybe she would be safe? She was all that mattered to him. He shook the thought away but still let his mind wander. Suddenly his left foot gave away and he tumbled to his knees. His hands caught a rock, slipped and dug into the soft dirt below it. He crawled to his knees and stood up, planting his feet firmly in the ground. His hands burned from the scrapes but they weren't cut. He brushed the dirt off and blew on them softly.
"You okay?" Brax asked.
"Never better."
Brax and Charra didn't seem to be having a problem navigating the gorge. Then again, their feet were about twice as big as his.
Charra slipped ahead of Zavik and said, "Want me to carry you down?"
"No...thanks," Zavik said. He had the itch to push Charra, but held it back. Even a big brute like him could get hurt if he took a bad fall.
Garrett made it to the bottom of the gorge and stood with his arms folded, glaring at them as if it was some common nature hike and they were holding him back from getting to the outpost. They met him at the bottom and unholstered their weapons. There was a small stream flowing down the gorge to the south. They turned north. The rocky embankment rose higher and higher. The valley closed in and became tight. The walls leered over them, judging them for entering the darkened cave. Burnt red rocks surrounded them. The air grew cold and damp. A soft dripping sound echoed through the cavern and was accompanied by a low moan. An animal crying in pain.
They continued down the cavern. Zavik's hand shook slightly as the light from above faded. A large shadow suddenly appeared to their left. It ran across their path, missing Garrett by less than a meter. A deteran. Its tall horn, pale and bright, even in the darkness, flashed at them as it turned around. Zavik fired a shot at the deteran, as did Charra. It screamed in agony. A noticeably different sound from the low moan they had been hearing. It ran deeper into the ridge.
"You okay?" Zavik asked Garrett.
"Yeah, that was close. I thought it was going to run me down."
"Should we keep going?" Zavik asked.
"We have to. I know Travis is down here. We have to find him."
They continued on deeper into the cave following a trail of disturbed and trampled dirt. They quickly came to an opening in the rocks. Brax and Charra knelt down on the left wall and Zavik and Garrett knelt on the right. In the open circle stood more than a dozen deterans. In the center was a large deteran. It was letting out loud, deep moans that reverberated around the chamber. It was what they'd been hearing. Standing around the large deteran were three smaller ones, each appeared to be nursing.
"It's a female," Zavik said astonished.
"Looks like she's in labor," Brax said.
"Labor?" Garrett asked. "You mean she's making more of those things?"
"She's giving birth," Zavik said. "This must be their den."
"Look!" Charra said, his voice, as usual, carrying further than Zavik liked.
A motionless body lay in the corner of the opening.
"They dragged him all the way here," Garrett said.
"We have to get him out of here," Zavik said. "Charra, you get him, we'll cover you."
"Just cause I'm the strongest, huh,” he said. "Try not to hit me will you," he said to Brax.
"Wouldn't dream of it. Then I'd have to carry him out myself, or worse, you."
Charra ran to Travis's body. Two deterans turned their heads when they noticed him. One let out a roar and they started to charge. Zavik fired a shot in front of them and rocks sprayed their faces. They stopped their charge and looked at Zavik. He didn't want to shoot them, but he knew he would if he had to. More deterans were rustled by the blasts and roared their disapproval of the intruders.
Charra lifted Travis onto his shoulders and started to return. The deterans were slowly approaching the group. "Shoot them, will you," Charra said. "I don't fancy being those kid's first meal."
"I don't think they want to eat us," Zavik said.
"They just want us gone," Brax said.
"I'm fine with that," Charra said. "Cave's not very welcoming anyway."
Charra cleared the opening and the deteran started to charge. Zavik shot at the ceiling. He hoped the whole thing didn't collapse on them.
Brax followed his lead and a flurry of rocks came crashing down in front of the opening. The deterans paused and then charged at the small boulders. Their horns crushed the rocks as if they were mere sand castles.
Charra took off for the exit of the cave, Travis's still limp body slung over his shoulder. Garrett followed behind Charra. Brax and Zavik kept shooting the walls and ceiling. Rocks collapsed down but were immediately pulverized by the massive beasts. Their thick hide and hard horn made them a perfect tool for carving through the soft stone. The mess slowed them briefly, but it was all they needed.
When Brax and Zavik exited the cave they saw Charra scaling the ravine one hop at a time. At the top stood half a dozen soldiers. A large four-wheeled vehicle started to crawl down the ravine. It made a more gracious descent than Zavik. The three ran to meet it at the bottom. The rumbling from the stampeding deterans was growing stronger.
The driver got out, a rifle in hand. He pointed it at the cave. "You all right, sir?" he asked.
"We're fine," Zavik said.
"Good, now if you'll get in the truck, we'll clear this ravine."
Four deterans appeared at the exit of the cave. They stopped and grunted at the trespassers. The other soldiers at the top of the ravine raised their rifles.
"No, stop!" Zavik said. He made a sudden instinctual motion for the soldier's rifle and was met with a heavy shove and hardened look.
"What do you think you're doing?" the soldier asked.
"They're not a threat."
"They attacked one of our colonists," he said.
"This is their home. There's a female inside giving birth. You have to let them stay."
"I don't think that's your call," the soldier said. His lips curled and a scowl grew around his face.
"No, but I am the best shot this colony has at getting the supplies you need. It wouldn't be smart to upset me. I'm sure the General would agree."
"Are you threatening me?" the soldier asked, his eyes boring through Zavik.
"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just saying we should probably discuss it with General Walters before you do something hasty. You know where they are, they're not gonna move anytime soon."
